Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Saints: The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (13th-14th century); Saint Fintan of Clonenagh (d. 603); Blessed William Richardson (1572-1603)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 14 The Celebration of Vigils on the Anniversary of Saints

Mass: James 2:1-9; Resp Ps 34; Mk 8:27-33

I will bless the Lord at all times.

ADHERE TO THE FAITH IN OUR GLORIOUS LORD JESUS CHRIST.

(James 2:1)

Inspiration comes from the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, commemorated today. Their story is remarkable, as are pretty much all the saints' stories. Today though we commemorate seven young Italian men, all from Florence, who, between the years 1225-1227, joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin in Florence, known as Laudesi, or "Praisers." As Butler's Lives of the Saints continues, "The chaplain to the Laudesi was a man of considerable spiritual insight named James of Poggibonsi; encouraged the seven to life of service to the Blessed Virgin Mary and increasing renunciation of 'the world'" (February volume, p. 167). Eventually they built a hermitage outside of Florence, but refused to accept recruits, even with all the many visitors that they had. Encouraged by a Cardinal and the bishop of Florence, and guided by a "vision of Our Lady carrying a black habit, which an angel bearing a scroll inscribed 'Servants of Mary'", they eventually adopted the Rule of Saint Augustine and became the Order of Servants of Mary, the Servites, considered one of the original Mendicant Orders along with the Dominicans and Franciscans. The Order is largely responsible for spreading the devotion to Our Lady as the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, among other things. There are men and women Servites all over the world today. As far as the seven holy founders, they "were jointly canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1888" (p.168). Another source relates that "their feast is celebrated today because one of the seven founders, Saint Alexis Falconieri, died on 17 February 1310" (Universalis). One never knows what will come from those who serve the Blessed Virgin; those who adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 

There were seven men worthy of all our praise and veneration, whom our Lady brought into one community to form this order of hers and her servants. They were like seven stars joined together to form a constellation ...

They loved God above all things and dedicated their whole lives to Him by honoring Him in their every thought, word and deed.

(From an account of the origin of the Servite Order, in Office of Readings, February 17)

THE SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS OF THE SERVITE ORDER,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Welcome to Tomar, Portugal, here the Aqueduct dos Pegoes Altos. A family of three, friends from Washington, simply divested themselves of most of their possessions and moved to Portugal. Go for it. 

© Gertrude Feick 2022